Army Engineers, MSG Meeting, Ageing Population, Student Loans in Arrears

N0047. ARMY TO UNDERTAKE MAJOR CIVIC PROJECTS. Army engineers  will use the heavy  machinary recently arrived from China to speed up rural development projects already in the pipeline. The shipment of equipment, valued at $4.1m, includes four excavators, five dump trucks, three bulldozers, two vibratory rollers, a pneumatic roller, two motor graders, two wheel loaders, two loader/diggers, a water truck, a pick-up and a truck with a crane. This is the first time the RFMF has had the equipment to undertake major construction work.

N0048. MSG TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT. Fiji will host the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting this year, and PM Bainimarama says Fiji will take the chairmanship role very seriously to ensure that Melanesian countries are acknowledged and treated with respect in the region and beyond. The meeting is expected to be held in Suva in late March.

N0049. FIJI'S AGEING POPULATION. Although a young population by development country standards, Fiji’s population is ageing with relatively fewer births, and more people moving into the older 60 years plus age group.  In anticipation of this continuing trend Ministry of Social Welfare, Women & Poverty Alleviation and the Inter-Agency Working Committee (IAWC) are working on a National Policy Framework for the Elderly that will reflect the changing needs of the elderly.

The Policy will be based on the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and related implementation strategies such as the Shanghai Implementation Strategy, Macao Programme of Action, and adapted to Fiji’s circumstances and conditions, following consultations with all stakeholders and service providers.  The Plan will be incorporated into all major development of the socioeconomic sectors.

N0050. STUDENTS OWE $18 MILLION.  Some $18m loans to students from 2001 to 2010 have not yet http://www.fijilive.com/news/2011/01/18/29839.Fijilive been repaid to the PSC. Permanent Secretary Parmesh Chand has urged students who have completed their students to keep in constant contact with the PSC so that arrangements for repayment can be facilitated. The sustainability of the Student Loan Scheme is dependent on the rate of recovery of arrears.

The PSC has, however, recovered $3.079m  which exceeded their target of $2.5m (2011, No:0115/PSC. The different focus of the Fiji Live heading $18 Million Yet to Recover:PSC  contrasts with the PSC release heading PSC Surpasses Loan Recovery Target.